Few books have made a greater impact, political as much as literary, than Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, perhaps the most famous of anti-war novels. Startling in its realism, moving in its humanity and banned and burned in Germany by the Nazis, it was an international publishing sensation. But who was Erich Maria Remarque? While the title of his masterpiece has entered the language as a catch-phrase, its author is virtually forgotten. In this biography, Hilton Tims attempts to reveal a man whose life was one of the most romantic and anguished of the 20th century.

The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth. This work takes a fresh look at traditional wisdom, providing 1000 inspiring thoughts on living a long and fulfilling life. It contains insights into the dimensions of how we can attempt to achieve long life.

Find your peaceful space

An anthology of the most inspiring and instructive texts on spiritual enlightenment from great Tibetan masters—handpicked by a best-selling author and Tibetan Buddhist monk Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard has selected and translated some of the most profound and inspiring teachings from the eight traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The selected teachings are from the Buddha himself, Nagarjuna, Guru Rinpoche, Atisha, Shantideva, and Asanga; the great masters of the past, Thogme Zangpo, the Fifth Dalai Lama, Milarepa, Longchenpa, and Sakya Pandita; and contemporary masters, including the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and Mingyur Rinpoche. The teachings address such topics as: • The nature of the mind • The foundations of taking refuge, generating altruistic compassion, acquiring merit, and following a teacher • View, meditation, and action • How to remove obstacles and make progress on the Buddhist path Inspired by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Ricard creates his anthology with Khyentse’s religious philosophy in mind: “When we come to appreciate the depth of the view of the eight great traditions [of Tibetan Buddhism] and also see that they all lead to the same goal without contradicting each other, we think, ‘Only ignorance can lead us to adopt a sectarian view.’”

In today's world, it is all too easy to become preoccupied with our own wants and needs and forget about those around us. We may feel we don't have the time to think beyond our own individual problems and complexities, but in order to live fulfilled lives we need to express generosity. Through the act of being generous, we are one step closer to achieving enlightenment. This book highlights the way in which we need to examine our lives and experiences on a deeper level in order to practice compassion, love and kindness. Through generous actions, we open up our minds and souls and benefit from the rewards of bestowing happiness upon others.

Zen is a path to spiritual fulfilment. In order to follow it you need to be able to do two things: sit on your butt and breathe. How hard is that? Do you need to be a buddhist to do Zen? No. Zen and Buddhism are kissing cousins but they aren't married. Any Christian, Jew, Muslim, or atheist can study Zen without comprising his or her beliefs. There are three things that will help along the way: great faith - not faith in a Christian sense but simply a firm belief that the Zen path will lead to enlightenment; great doubt - you must be prepared to take nothing for granted and examine everything for yourself from the ground up; and great perseverance - Zen is not instant enlightenment, it takes years of constant effort. Travel the path and enjoy!